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Freezing rain covers Kyiv with glaze

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A man cleans an ice-covered car on Dec. 11, 2020 after an icy rain poured over the city overnight.
Photo by Volodymyr Petrov

After a sudden worsening of weather conditions in Kyiv, the roads of Ukraine’s capital got covered with ice, paralyzing the movement of cars and people on the sidewalks. 

On Dec. 10, icy rain poured over the city, eventually freezing due to negative temperatures. The streets became entirely covered in ice, leaving many injured or stuck in traffic as more and more accidents were reported. 

According to the spokesperson of the health department of the Kyiv City Council, over 160 people got injured on Dec. 10 because of dangerous walking conditions, news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported

Traffic accidents due to icy roads paralyzed the movement of many streets in Kyiv, causing hours-long traffic jams all across the city. The Patrol police department in Kyiv reported receiving 503 calls regarding car accidents, which left 2 dead and 6 injured. 

Public transport was forced to slow down its operations, running out of schedule or closing down for hours in the case wit the city’s famous funicular. A couple of planes in Boryspil Airport had to cancel landings and return to their airports of departure. 

As the cold intensified, Kyiv City Council reported workers covering the same streets with anti-icing agents multiple times and working around the clock. 

The weather won’t be warming up until Dec. 13, meteorologists warn.